Bag closure



March 20, 1934. K, R* DEVER 1,951,599

BAG GLOSURE Filed Jan.V 9, 1932 A INVENTOR HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BAG CLOSURE Application January 9, 1932, Serial No. 585,693

' z claims. (c1. 15o- 3) The present invention relates to a new closure for or method of closing fabric bags.

An object of the invention is to provide a closure which will permit the bag to be easily closed and opened without in any way damaging the bag so that it will be in condition for immediate reuse.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bag closure which makes possible the `:filling of a bag with a maximum amount of material.

Other objects `are the provision of a closure which can be applied only in a plant equipped with the proper machinery, whereby unauthorized refilling is prevented, and which is easily and inexpensively made. This invention is particularly applicable to the fabric bags used for the transportation of cement and similar substances which are reused so long as they are of suflicient streng th and undamaged. Such bags must be closed during transportation in such a manner that they may be easily opened without injury to the bag. It is at present general practice to close such bags, when used for transporting Portland cement, ,for example, by gathering the top edges together and twisting a wire around the gathered edges in a manner well known in the art. The bag is opened by cutting or untwisting the wire. 'Ihis method of closing bags wastes considerable space by reason of the folding or gathering of the material, which waste is eliminated when the bag is closed as hereinafter described in accordance with the present invention. Furthermore the usual wire binding is diflicult to handle and requires a tool to be used in removing it.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by the drawing in which Fig. 1 is a representation of a partially opened bag lled with material; Fig. 2 shows the closure illustrating certain details; Fig. 8 is a plan showing in detail a closure as seen from one side, and Fig. 4 is a plan showing the same closing from the opposite side; Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows a bag made in the usual manner from one piece of material, folded over and sewed together along the bottom and side edges, the top edges being provided with the usual hem. This sewing is done so as to form in the known manner the filling valve 5 at one corner ofthe bag. Prior to the filling, the sides 8 and 9 are sewn together near their top edges 6 and 7 on a sewing machine using any one of a number of well known stitches such as the lock stitch, the chain stitch or others, using either a single or double thread. Previous to sewing the sides together, a ripping tape 10 is laid across one side of the bag along the intended line of stitching. In applying the tape to the bag one end may be folded around the edge of the bag as shown in Fig. 4 at 12, providing added strength for the closure. 'Ihe bag and tape are then together put on a sewing machine and the stitching 14 is applied through the tape and the material of the bag across the width of the bag, securely sewing the two sides 8 and 9 and the tape 10 together. The stitching may be started through the folded end 12, run the width of the bag and finished off by runningit off the side of the tape as shown at 15 which eifectually secures the stitching against raveling.

Means for grasping the tape 10 is provided either in the simple prolongation 16 or in the loop 18 of Fig. 2. The loop 18 may be formed simultaneously with the closing of the bag by doubling the end of tape 10 back upon itself and securing it by the stitching 14. This method, however, has the disadvantage that the fastening of the loop is broken simultaneously with the ripping of the stitching. For this reason it may be desirable to separately fasten the loop 18.

Other means of fastening than stitching may be employed in conjunction with the tape such as wire stapling, for example.

To open a bag closed in the manner described it is only necessary to grasp the prolongation 16 or the loop 18 and by a quick, forceful pull tear off the tape, thus breaking the stitching 14 or other fastening. The sides 8 and 9 are then free of one another and the mouth of the bag is completely open. It has been demonstrated that opening the bag in this manner in no way damages the material of the bag or breaks the stitching of any of the seams so that the bag is immediately ready for reclosing and refilling in the manner just described.

Production of concrete for roads, buildings and various like structures under present conditions with modern machinery requires rapid handling of the concrete delivered to the mixer, which is run continuously, alternately receiving dry materials, including bags of cement, and water and delivering mixed concrete. Measured batches of dry materials including the correct number of closed bags of cement are dumped from trucks and with minimum labor where the bags have been closed in accordance with the present invention. Further, it has been found that such closures are reliable and satisfactory in the transportion of the'full bags, since the sewing may be of sufficient strength to securely hold the ends of the bags closed and yet be capable of being severed in a moment so as to completely open the ends of the bags by the forceful pulling of the ripping tape, requiring but one hand of the operator.

In the case of stitching, some machine stitches are capable of being unraveled, in particular, stitches of the type known as chain stitches. If the tape is ripped in a direction opposite to that in which the stitching is applied, it will cause both breaking of the thread and raveling of the stitch. In such cases the raveling assists the opening of the bag by reducing the number of threads which must be broken. When this feature is to be utilized it is essential that the ripping tape be applied under the side of the stitching upon which the loops are. If the bag is sewn on the machine from left to right, then the tape should be arranged to be ripped from right to left to take advantage of the unraveling of the stitches.

The use of the described closure affords protection to a manufacturer in that an obstacle is presented to unauthorized refilling of his bags. The closure in accordance with the invention, unlike a twisted wire binding around gathered edges, can be applied only prior to lling the bag. When the bag is closed it can easily be lled only at a plant equipped with machinery for filling bags through the' self-closing valve 5.

What is claimed:

1. A closure for a bag comprising in combination adjacent edges of two opposite sides of the bag, frangible fastening means securing said edges together and coextensive therewith, a ripping tape coextensive with said fastening means and held by said fastening means externally adjacent one of said edges and external thereto, and gripping means at the end of said tape to permit progressive rupture of said fastening means.

2. A closure for a bag comprising in combination adjacent edges of two opposite sides of the bag, a ravelable stitching securing said edges together and coextensive therewith, a ripping tape coextensive with said fastening means and held by said stitching externally adjacent that edge having the loops of said stitching thereon; and gripping means on that end of said tape contiguous to the end of said stitching where application thereof terminates to permit progressive rupture and unraveling of said fastening means.

KERSEY R. DEVER. 

